By David Chiu •Published August 6, 2010•Updated on August 7, 2010 at 5:17 am

"My name is Lady Gaga,” she said to the audience. “I thank you for coming to my show. I didn't used to be brave. In fact I wasn't very brave at all. But you have made me brave, little monsters. So now I'm going to brave for you. Tonight, I want you to free yourself."

In 2007, Gaga was a relatively unknown newcomer at Lollapalooza—she performed in the daytime behind a keyboard and earned not-so-favorable reviews.

But a lot has changed as Gaga played in front of thousands of people yesterday and told them to forget “your Lollapalooza BMI stage show was a (expletive) trainwreck. You’re a (expletive) superstar. You were born that way!” The enthusiastic crowd responded with a roar and raised fists, according to the AP.

The singer was described as wearing a jacket and large shoulder pads at the beginning of her set; later, she wore a red cape and a transparent outfit.

Friday kicked off the three-day music festival whose scheduled lineup includes Green Day, Arcade Fire, Soundgarden and the National.